Incumbent, 2 challengers seek Ward 4 council seat

Mayor Tim Lecklider will face two opponents in the race for the Ward 4 seat on Dublin City Council Nov. 5.

Lecklider, Kevin Cooper and JD Kaplan all filed petitions with the Franklin County Board of Elections to run for the Ward 4 seat this fall. Petitions are scheduled to be certified by the board of elections by Aug. 19.

Lecklider is currently serving in his third consecutive term on Dublin City Council and announced his candidacy at a June council meeting.

"It's been my privilege to serve with what I believe is the best council and staff in central Ohio and beyond," Lecklider said.

"I'm excited about what lies ahead for the city of Dublin and I hope the voters of Ward 4 will again allow me the opportunity of representing them."

Cooper, a former web developer for the city of Dublin, said he is running to maintain the three things that make Dublin great: safety, services and schools.

"Safety and services are the two big responsibilities Dublin City Council has," he said, adding that although council has no direction over the school district, partnerships can be formed to benefit them both.

"Also, really specifically from my ward, the average age in our ward is 45 and a lot of us have young kids and that's not represented on council."

Kaplan said he is running City Council after seeing a disconnect between the city and his ward.

"I feel that this is a great neighborhood, but there are people not happy with property taxes and the way the city is run," Kaplan said.

"We're not connected," he said. "I want to bring people back together with updates about what's going on instead of reading about it in the newspaper or hearing it second hand."

As a Dublin resident and businessman, Kaplan said he also has the time and energy to give to council.